


Of Progress and Promises

by Pandora151



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Feels, Gen, Jedi Culture, Lineage, Obi-Wan Kenobi Gets a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-04 12:10:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20470826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandora151/pseuds/Pandora151
Summary: Not long after joining the Jedi Order, Anakin Skywalker teams up with some of his Master's friends for a very important mission: to get Obi-Wan Kenobi to smile and laugh again.





	Of Progress and Promises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EclipseMidnight (EternalEclipse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalEclipse/gifts).

> Hello! This is for the incredible EclipseMidnight, as part of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Genfic Exchange! Enjoy :)

“Anakin!” Bant greeted with a smile, waving him over. She was sitting in the mess hall with two other Padawans Anakin didn’t recognize, the table covered with a considerable amount of food.

“Bant,” he replied, smiling awkwardly at her companions.

“Oh, this is Garen”—Bant gestured at the human sitting on her right—“and this is Reeft,” she said, indicating the Dressellian sitting next to her, scarfing down possibly one of the biggest sandwiches Anakin had ever seen.

“It’s good to meet you, Anakin,” Garen said. “Bant’s told us a lot about you.”

Reeft exclaimed something while chewing on his sandwich, but Anakin couldn’t exactly make out what he was saying.

“Sorry about that,” Garen said, elbowing Reeft. “He’s not like this when there isn’t food around.”

Glaring at Garen, the Dressellian swallowed down the rest of his food before turning towards Anakin.

“Nice to meet you, Anakin,” Reeft said brightly before taking another large bite of his sandwich.

Anakin laughed lightly before looking around surreptitiously. “Is there anyone else coming?” he asked.

“A few of us couldn’t come on short notice, but they’re definitely interested,” Garen said. “Obi-Wan?”

Anakin gave him a slight smile. “Master Plo Koon sent him on a wild bantha chase for his datapad. He should be somewhere in the lower levels for at least a few hours,” he said excitedly. It was good to have a Council Master in on this plan; it would make things a lot easier.

Reeft let out a loose laugh before reaching for a sandwich and biting into it. “So,” he said, mouth full. “I just came back from my mission, and I don’t know exactly what this is all about. Can someone explain?”

Bant deflated slightly. “You haven’t seen Obi-Wan since Naboo, right?” she asked Reeft.

Reeft shook his head. “I know what happened, of course,” he murmured. “It’s…Master Qui-Gon was so full of _life_. I never thought that he would…”

The group fell into a mournful silence. Reeft put his sandwich back on his plate and sighed before speaking quietly again. “Is it…the rumors are true, then? It was a Sith Lord?”

Bant nodded.

“And you,” Reeft continued, turning to face Anakin, “you’re Obi-Wan’s Padawan?”

“Yeah,” Anakin answered. Most of the other Padawans who’d asked him that over the past few weeks didn’t seem to believe him, but Reeft just nodded slowly.

The Dressellian Padawan exhaled loudly, eyes wide. “You go on one mission and somehow you miss _everything_,” he muttered, and Garen huffed out a laugh.

“Anyways,” Bant said, “Anakin, why don’t you explain what exactly you’re planning?”

The three older Padawans were all staring at him now, Garen and Reeft’s curiosity drifting out into the Force.

“Um, well,” Anakin began eloquently, “It’s been about a month, but I haven’t really seen Obi-Wan laugh or smile at all. And he seems just really sad all the time, even when I try to make him laugh!” 

Anakin’s mother would sometimes get sad like that, but he was always able to cheer her up somehow. But that did not work with Obi-Wan.

“That doesn’t really sound like him,” Garen said. “I mean, Obi was always a bit serious, but he was still…happy, you know?”

“I know,” Bant murmured, bowing her head slightly.

“So, you want to work together to come up with something to get him to laugh?” Reeft asked, reaching for a nerf nugget from the center of the table. “I hate to ask this, but is it really that bad? I’m sure I could just stuff a whole nuna leg into my mouth and he’d laugh.”

Bant chuckled. “As amusing as that sounds, Reeft, maybe you should try talking to him and then you’ll see. He’s saying that he’s fine, but even in the Force Obi-Wan is very sad. Anakin is right.”

“Fair enough,” Reeft said, chewing slowly on his nerf nugget. “Though my offer with the nuna leg still stands, just saying.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Anakin replied, laughing slightly. “If we have nothing else, we could at least try that.”

Bant snorted, putting down her fork. “Anyways, Obi’s birthday is coming up next week, so Anakin and I were thinking we could throw him a surprise party on that day. It’s been a while since we were all in the Temple. And we can invite some of the other Padawans and Knights who know Obi-Wan.”

Garen nodded. “That’s a great idea. We can have it my quarters; Master Rhara wouldn’t mind having guests over,” he said.

Swallowing down the last of his sandwich, Reeft let out a muffled sound of agreement. “I’ll take care of the food!” he exclaimed a bit louder than Anakin expected. A few of the Jedi sitting at other tables turned towards him, but Reeft appeared to ignore them or not care.

“Great!” Bant exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. “Anakin, I think you can keep Obi-Wan occupied while I take care of everything else, especially on the day of the party. If it seems like he suspects something, distract him.”

“I’ve got a _lot _of tricks up my sleeve to do exactly that,” Anakin replied. He looked around at the older Padawans sitting around him, feeling more comfortable around them than he did minutes ago. “I just…I don’t want Obi-Wan to be sad anymore.”

The table fell silent once again.

“It will take time,” Bant said, voice soft. “But I know he will be happy again.” She let out a breath and then smiled at Anakin. “Now, let’s plan for the surprise. We don’t have a lot of time, and since Obi-Wan will be running around the lower levels for the next few hours, we might as well make the most of the time we have right now.”

“Let’s do it,” Garen replied, eyes shining with determination.

* * *

Obi-Wan was certain that Anakin was up to something.

His Padawan was acting the way he normally did when he was either secretly reconfiguring one of the Temple’s droids in his room or planning yet another escapade to the lower levels of Coruscant for some podracing.

After all, Obi-Wan had caught Anakin doing both multiple times over the past few weeks.

But when he asked Anakin about it, Anakin denied it, and Obi-Wan didn’t really have the heart to accuse him of lying.

It didn’t really matter, did it?

As long as it didn’t interfere with Anakin’s development as a Jedi, it probably would be fine.

Leaning back slightly in his chair, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and rubbed at his eyelids. It was getting late, but sleep was always a bit far away, and Anakin was still working on assignments for his classes. He had to make sure Anakin completed his assignments and then he would have to look them over.

He had a feeling that if he left Anakin to his own devices for even a few hours, he would wake up to find something on fire—or worse, _everything_ on fire.

“Master?”

Obi-Wan blinked, opening his eyes to see Anakin standing in front of him, head tilted slightly.

“I finished my assignments,” Anakin said, gesturing towards the table where he was working. Sure enough, the datapads were stacked neatly on the table.

Anakin finishing his assignments already was a bit unusual, considering he was still adjusting to the concept of having assignments and classes at all. This meant that Obi-Wan had to help him with his classes whenever necessary, along with introducing him to the ways of the Jedi and the Force.

It was…a lot, especially when Obi-Wan had so many other responsibilities and obligations as a recently Knighted Jedi.

Every single day was challenging, difficult in ways he’d never expected, but he couldn’t afford to do less than what was required of him.

Stopping, or even slowing down at all, was not an option.

Nodding, Obi-Wan stood up, putting aside the report he was writing for the Council.

“This looks good,” he commented, quickly looking over Anakin’s work. “You’ve come a really long way, Anakin.”

Anakin smiled brightly. “Can I go to sleep now, Master? I’m sleepy,” Anakin asked excitedly, almost vibrating with an intensity that somehow made Obi-Wan feel even more tired than before.

Was he that energetic at Anakin’s age? He couldn’t really remember.

“Usually you want to stay up late, but tonight you want to sleep early?” Obi-Wan asked, tilting his head.

Anakin shrugged. “Can I go now, please?” he asked eagerly, bouncing on his toes.

At this point, he was pretty sure Anakin had a reconfigured droid stashed away in his room, and Anakin probably to stay up and tinker with the droid. Obi-Wan knew that he would find out about it eventually, and he would rather not deal with that situation right now.

“Alright,” he replied, nodding slightly. “Sleep well, Anakin.”

“You too!” Anakin exclaimed, literally skipping into Obi-Wan’s old bedroom.

Once the door slid closed, Obi-Wan closed his eyes again, breathing out slowly. He walked back to the couch and sat down. A familiar tightness in his chest was crawling up his throat, and he forced himself to breathe deeply, trying to not let it overwhelm him.

Shaking his head, he reached for his commlink and quickly entered a frequency.

_“Hello?”_

Bant’s voice was quiet; she must have been sitting in her room, preparing to go to sleep.

“Hello, Bant,” he said, keeping his voice even.

_“Obi-Wan!” _she exclaimed, clearly excited to hear from him. _“It’s been a while. How are you doing?”_

“Alright,” he croaked, then he cleared his throat.

_“Are you sure? You don’t really sound alright.”_

Sometimes he forgot exactly how perceptive Bant was, especially when it came to her friends’ wellbeing. She knew him too well.

“Yes, Anakin’s just being a handful as usual; that’s all,” he replied. “He’s just—”

Then he cut himself off, unsure of what exactly to say.

Bant remained quiet, and he knew she was waiting for him to continue.

“There’s something going on with him, but I can’t figure it out,” he said, feeling the words almost spilling from his mouth. “And the Council has been asking for all of these progress reports on his classes and training. I can’t afford to make a mistake—then they’d deem me unfit for teaching and send Anakin away from the Temple.”

_“I know.”_

For a moment, the feeling in his throat seemed to overwhelm him, but he quickly pushed it back, fighting for control.

He breathed out evenly, letting the quietness in the Force wash over his senses.

_“Better?”_

Obi-Wan nodded, and then he remembered that Bant couldn’t see him.

“Yes,” he replied hoarsely. “Thank you.”

_“You’re overreacting, Obi-Wan,” _she said, voice crackling slightly over the commlink. _“From what I’ve seen, Anakin is very energetic, and he only wants the best for people. He’s still adjusting to being here, Obi.”_

Obi-Wan was very used to overthinking almost everything, so it was definitely likely that he was doing the same thing here. Staying in the moment was difficult, especially when the moment itself would impact so much of what is coming. And what was coming, the future itself, was just so important.

_“And as for the Council, they’re just concerned about Anakin and about you. If something is going wrong, they want to know about it early, so that it can be corrected as soon as possible.”_

That was what they told him after he had returned from Naboo with Anakin, but at the time, he had no idea just how involved the Council would become. At the time, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

He also had no idea that the entire Temple would somehow find out about the Sith Lord he defeated on Naboo, and he couldn’t bring himself to even think about all of that without feeling like he was drowning.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he bowed his head.

“I miss Master Qui-Gon,” he said softly.

It was the first time he said it aloud, and somehow it was both painful and relieving at the same time to do so.

Bant was quiet for a few moments. _“I’m sorry, Obi,” _she murmured.

He opened his eyes again and rubbed at them, moving the commlink away from him as he struggled to get control over himself once again. 

_“Why don’t we do something tomorrow evening?” _she suggested. _“You can use a break, and I don’t have any shifts at the Halls.”_

“But, Anakin—”

_“Anakin can come if he wants. Come on, Obi, it’s been too long since we’ve done anything,” _she pleaded, voice soft.

He would have to find a different time to finish up the reports for the past week, but—

“Oh, alright,” he conceded. “But not for too long. Anakin has class every day, and he can’t afford to be late the next morning.”

_“That’s great!” _Bant exclaimed, and the sound of her bouncing on her seat echoed through the commlink. _“Talk to Anakin tomorrow morning and let me know if he wants to come.”_

“I will,” Obi-Wan replied.

_“Also, I know it’s been hard, Obi-Wan, but please try to get some sleep, alright? It will help; I promise.”_

He wasn’t entirely sure that he’d be able to sleep much, but he couldn’t bring himself to argue. He’d try, just as Bant suggested, but it would probably not amount to much.

“Thank you, Bant,” he croaked.

_“You’re welcome. Now, get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.” _Bant’s voice was full of excitement.

“Good night.”

The commlink clicked off, leaving him alone in the night.

* * *

The next day started off the same as usual.

After tossing and turning for a few hours, Obi-Wan got up and made a cup of tea. Coruscant’s sun hadn’t risen yet—it wouldn’t for at least another hour or two.

Obi-Wan spent the next half hour drinking his tea and finishing up the report he was working on the night before. After he finished, he had to look over the progress reports he had received from Anakin’s instructors. Before he could start looking at those reports, however, he was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

“Morning, Master,” Anakin greeted, stretching and rubbing at his eyes as he ambled out of his bedroom.

Obi-Wan blinked. “What are you doing up so early?” he asked. He had never seen Anakin up at this hour—Anakin enjoyed sleeping in well past sunrise. Most of the time, Obi-Wan would have to wake him up to make sure he would get to class on time.

Shrugging, Anakin walked towards the kitchen. “Ferus offered to help me with my reading,” he explained. “He told me to meet him in the Archives before class.”

It didn’t exactly sound like something Ferus would do, but Obi-Wan couldn’t bring himself to say that. Though he appeared exhausted, Anakin’s eyes were bright with excitement, and in the Force, Anakin’s emotions were radiant.

Clearly, there was something going on, but Obi-Wan figured he would find out eventually, and a part of him didn’t want to upset Anakin so early in the day.

Instead, he decided not to press. “That’s good.”

Anakin smiled again before he walked into the kitchen. Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the progress reports, taking notes when necessary. Though Anakin had progressed well over the past few weeks, according to his instructors, he still had a long way to go.

After all, Anakin had to learn over a decade’s worth of Jedi training in a matter of months, if he was ever going to catch up to the other Junior Padawans.

A few minutes later, Anakin had finished eating, and he walked out of the kitchen, bag in hand.

“I’ll see you later, then, Master?” Anakin asked, looking like he was ready to leave for the day.

Obi-Wan nodded, then he remembered his conversation with Bant from the previous night.

“I spoke to Bant yesterday,” he said. “She wants to spend some time with us in the evening today. Would you like to do that tonight?”

Anakin’s face broke out into an even wider smile, and in the Force, his presence seemed like it was glowing brighter than it normally did.

“Sounds fun! Did she say what we were doing?” Anakin asked, bouncing slightly on his toes.

“Not yet,” Obi-Wan replied. “I suspect she’ll come up with something, unless there was something in particular you hoped to do?”

Anakin opened his mouth to reply, but just then, his commlink beeped. Anakin looked down at it before his eyes widened. He began to run towards the apartment’s entrance, frenzied anxiety emanating easily from his Force presence.

“Is everything alright?” Obi-Wan asked, standing up and following him.

Anakin huffed out a breath, bending over to put on his boots. “Yes, it’s just that Ferus is being a bit impatient, and I need to get to the Archives now.” After he finished putting on his boots, Anakin straightened.

“Well, I’ll tell Bant that you’ll be coming. She’ll be ecstatic,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m sure we can decide what we’ll be doing later on.”

Anakin nodded. “See you later, Master,” he said, and he left in a rush, leaving Obi-Wan slightly more confused and concerned than he was before.

_What exactly is going on?_

* * *

As the day wore on and evening drew near, Obi-Wan found himself more and more worried.

The Force felt…odd, as though something was about to happen.

Obi-Wan didn’t like it.

Sitting on the couch in his quarters, he stared at his commlink for a long few moments.

Meeting Bant was out of the question now, despite the fact she and Anakin were both so eager to do so. How could he possibly take the time to socialize when there was so much to do, when there was so much falling out of place?

Anakin wasn’t even back yet, even though he was supposed to return _hours_ ago.

Something was wrong, he was sure of it. How could he even _think _about taking time to himself when he didn’t even have the time to do exactly that?

How could he be so…_selfish_?

He shook his head.

_No_.

He entered Bant’s frequency and waited.

_“Eerin here.”_

“Bant,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ll have to cancel for tonight.”

Alarm shot into the Force, and immediately he shivered at the sensation, bowing his head slightly.

_“Why? It’s been so long, Obi-Wan,” _Bant replied, voice quiet. _“I was really excited to see you.”_

Obi-Wan sighed. “I’m sorry; I just—there’s so much I forgot to do, and I just—”

Bant didn’t reply for a long time, which made him even more worried and concerned than before. Being so silent and unreachable was unlike her.

She was upset, too upset to even speak. The realization was cold, sending ice into his veins.

“Bant?” he asked, voice cracking.

_“Obi-Wan, please, you need a break from all of this. Whatever you forgot to do today can wait. I’m sure of it.”_

“It can’t,” he said, shaking his head. “And even if it could, _I_ can’t. I’m not…I just can’t do it, Bant, I’m sorry.”

That strange tightness was crawling into his throat again, only it was physically painful this time. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like the air was getting thinner and thinner…

_“I understand.”_

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

_“I know. It’s alright.” _Her voice was soothing, bringing stability back to the Force. _“How about we come to your quarters instead? I’ll bring a holo and some food. Then you don’t have to worry about your work, and I don’t have to worry about you.”_

It certainly would work. The Force seemed less tense, less overwhelming and confusing to understand. For the first time in a long time, everything felt clear, even if it was just for a few moments.

“Oh, alright.” Obi-Wan replied slowly, keeping his voice quiet. “I am sorry, though, Bant.”

_“Don’t apologize. I know you are going through a lot, and I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” _she said.

Obi-Wan nodded. “I appreciate it.”

_“I’ll be there in about an hour or so, alright?”_

“See you then.”

* * *

As she clicked her commlink off, Bant sighed.

“So now what?” Anakin asked, looking around at all the decorations they’d put up in Garen’s quarters.

They had arranged for food, invited Masters Plo and Yoda, the entirety of Obi-Wan’s Initiate Clan from his year, and many others who knew him, and purchased and put up a large amount of decorations for the party.

They spent _all _this time planning for this party, only for it to fall apart hours before it was due to start.

Hearing Obi-Wan be so openly honest was unsettling—Anakin didn’t realize that his Master was struggling this much.

Bant sighed. “I think having the party as we planned it would only overwhelm him,” she said, putting down the balloon she was tying to the ceiling. She climbed down from the chair she was standing on and sat down on it.

Reeft shook his head, walking out of the kitchen and sitting on the couch next to Garen. “He sounded so…upset?”

“I didn’t realize how much Master Qui-Gon’s death had affected him,” Garen said slowly.

Anakin closed his eyes. Obi-Wan had always been quiet, ever since he met him on Tatooine, but after Qui-Gon’s death, it seemed like he had retreated further into himself. Sure, he spent so much time looking after Anakin and helping him with his classes and training, but…

He was distant.

“I know,” Bant said, bowing her head. “Master Qui-Gon wouldn’t want to see him like this.”

They fell into a mournful silence. Anakin sat down next to Bant, thinking of what Qui-Gon would tell him if he was here right now.

_Well, if he was here, we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place_.

“What do we do?” Anakin asked, breaking the silence.

Bant let out another sigh. “Well, I think the five of us should go to your quarters. Obi-Wan doesn’t know Reeft and Garen are back at the Temple, so that would hopefully be a nice surprise for him. We’ll celebrate Obi-Wan’s birthday on a smaller scale than we originally planned,” she said. “We’ll have to tell Masters Plo and Yoda and everyone else that it’s canceled.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Garen replied, then sighed. “Though they were all really excited to come, especially Masters Plo and Yoda.”

“I know.” Reeft shook his head. “Let’s just go over there, bring the food and gifts, and see what happens. Maybe if Obi-Wan’s okay with it, we can tell the Masters to join us later.”

Bant nodded before turning towards Anakin. “Anakin, you should go back. We’ll be at your quarters in an hour, like I told Obi-Wan.”

Part of him wanted to stay and make sure everything went according to their new plan, but Anakin knew it would be better to go back and keep Obi-Wan company.

“Okay, I’ll see you later! Thanks for all of this,” Anakin said, smiling softly.

“Thank _you_, Anakin. You’re the one who brought us all together to do this for Obi-Wan,” Bant replied.

With another smile, Anakin left, running up a flight of stairs to his quarters.

The time had come.

* * *

Not long after Anakin returned, the buzzer rang.

“Looks like Bant’s here!” he exclaimed, bouncing on his feet.

“You’re awfully excited about this,” Obi-Wan said as they walked over to the door. “Bant’s just bringing us some food and a holofilm to watch.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Obi-Wan unlocked the door and opened it, heart leaping up to his throat.

Outside the entrance of the Kenobi-Skywalker quarters stood Bant, who was balancing a large tray along with what appeared to be a few gift boxes. On her right stood Reeft, who was holding another tray, and on her left was Garen, who was holding some balloons.

“Uh,” Obi-Wan said, shaking his head slightly. Last he heard, Garen and Reeft were both away from the Temple on missions. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Anakin grabbed at his hand and gently pulled him back, allowing his friends to walk in.

“Did you really forget what today was, Obi?” Bant asked as she put everything she was holding onto the kitchen table.

“It sounds like something he would do,” Garen said in an undertone, smirking slightly.

Obi-Wan stared at the pile of gifts on the table, at the trays of food that definitely smelled like Dex’s cooking, and the balloons.

He blinked.

Not only had he forgotten what day it was, but these days, he could hardly remember the month.

Then it clicked.

“Oh,” he said softly. “Right.”

After thirteen years, this would be the first birthday he would spend without Qui-Gon.

The thought crashed into him so quickly that he hadn’t even noticed it when the first tears spilled from his eyes.

The next thing he knew, there were arms wrapping around his shoulders, followed quickly by smaller arms wrapping themselves around his waist. He felt Garen and Reeft join in soon after, and just the thought that they were all here, _together_, was surprising enough.

“I don’t…” he mumbled. “I’m…”

He couldn’t exactly figure out what he was trying to say.

“Look, we’ve made him speechless,” Reeft sniffed, voice muffled.

Obi-Wan chuckled a bit. “I just never thought the three of you would be able to do something like this without me noticing,” he said hoarsely, pulling himself out of the hug.

Bant smiled and rubbed Anakin’s right shoulder. “This was all Anakin’s idea, actually,” she said.

Obi-Wan blinked, looking down at his Padawan, who smiled brightly at him. “Well, that’s…” he swallowed, too surprised to come up with the right words to say. “Thank you,” he murmured.

A moment of silence, then—

“I’m hungry; can we eat?”

Garen barked out a laugh. “You’re literally _always _hungry, Reeft.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Reeft replied, moving over to the table to open up the trays. He then began taking food from the tray and loading it onto his plate, but Obi-Wan remained where he stood next to Bant, watching.

Garen and Anakin followed suit, Anakin literally bouncing on his toes at the sight of the food.

“Was this originally going to happen somewhere else?” Obi-Wan asked softly.

Bant nodded. “It’s alright; I feel like it’s better this way,” she admitted. “Though we did originally invite Masters Plo and Yoda, and they were both very eager to come. But we weren’t sure how you felt about that.”

“Oh,” Obi-Wan replied, watching as Anakin grabbed a plate and filled it with large amounts of food. “Well, if they want to come, I’m alright with it.”

Bant glanced at him. “Are you sure? If it’s too much, they don’t have to come.”

Obi-Wan smiled softly, watching as Anakin laughed at something Garen said. “I’m sure,” he answered.

Dinner was a lot more entertaining than he thought it would be.

Reeft had brought all of the food from Dex’s, along with a card from Dex demanding Obi-Wan to come visit as soon as possible.

The five of them talked comfortably as they ate, Anakin talking excitedly to Garen about piloting while Reeft talked with Obi-Wan and Bant about his upcoming Trials for Knighthood. Obi-Wan and Bant assured him that he would pass the Trials soon, and Reeft appeared to be quite pleased to hear that.

Mid-conversation, Reeft randomly stood up and reached for one of the nuna legs sitting in the middle of the table. Then he unceremoniously stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.

Obi-Wan couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him.

Not long after they finished eating, Obi-Wan’s friends moved over to the holotelevision to set up the film, while Anakin helped Obi-Wan clear away the food.

After putting the tray of nuna legs into the fridge, Obi-Wan looked back at his Padawan and paused.

Anakin was intently focused on cleaning the dishes on the sink, scrubbing furiously at a plate with what appeared to be a stubborn stain.

“Anakin.”

Anakin started, putting the plate into the sink before he turned his head to look at Obi-Wan.

“Master?” he asked, tilting his head a bit.

“You didn’t have to do any of this,” Obi-Wan said softly, almost in wonder.

Anakin shrugged. “You seemed really sad, and Bant was getting worried. And—” He cut himself off, looking up at the ceiling.

“And what?”

“And I wanted you to be happy,” Anakin murmured.

Obi-Wan took two steps towards his Padawan, dropping to his knees in front of him before wrapping him in a tight hug. He dropped his head onto Anakin’s shoulders, shuddering as tears fell from his eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispered, and the Force sang. “_Thank you_.”

About twenty minutes later, Obi-Wan managed to compose himself enough to sit on the couch and write his reports on his datapad while watching the holofilm.

Just as they were starting the holo, the buzzer rang again. Obi-Wan walked over to the door and opened it to see Masters Plo and Yoda standing in front of him.

“Masters,” he greeted, bowing his head.

“Obi-Wan,” Plo said, eyes sparkling with warmth. He held up a small box. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought some Dorinian tea blends that I think you might like.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “That is much appreciated and totally unnecessary, Master Plo,” he replied as Plo handed him the box. “Still, thank you.”

Master Yoda turned slightly towards Master Plo.

“Speak to Obi-Wan alone, I would like,” the Grandmaster said, and Plo nodded, moving into the quarters towards the holo, where everyone else was watching the film.

When they were standing alone near the entrance of his quarters, Yoda staring intently at Obi-Wan as though he was studying him carefully, Obi-Wan felt a surge of nervousness

Master Yoda cleared his throat. “Come with me, would you?” he asked.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. “What is this about, Master?” He didn’t expect Master Yoda to show up, let alone ask to take him out of his quarters for some strange reason.

The Force was silent, almost watching.

“Give you something, I must.”

Yoda led him out of this quarters, out of the residential wing of the Temple, towards the gardens. As they walked into the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Obi-Wan found himself thinking of all the time he used to spend here as an Initiate and later on as a Padawan.

“Remember, do you, the first time you came in here?”

Obi-Wan frowned. He had come to the gardens so many times throughout his life that it felt as though this room was always a part of his life. He couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t.

“I don’t,” Obi-Wan said softly.

Yoda huffed out a laugh. “New to the Temple, you were. Still an infant, you were, and unhappy, you were, to have left your family.”

“Oh,” Obi-Wan replied. “I had no idea.”

“Brought you here, I did, and helped you, it did.” Yoda began walking to one of the smaller waterfalls on the right side of the room, leading Obi-Wan through a path of short trees and flowers blooming beautifully in the night.

Next to the waterfall was the entrance to a small stone pathway, barely visible from the distance. Despite the number of times Obi-Wan had been to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, he had never noticed this pathway before.

As they walked, Obi-Wan noticed that they were entering an area with more trees and plants and less waterfalls, rivers, and streams.

His surroundings were all vibrant shades of green, interspersed with the blues, reds, purples, oranges, and whites of the plants and flowers surrounding them. Obi-Wan found himself almost speechless; not only was this place visually beautiful, but in the Force, his surroundings were so bright and clear and…_stunning._

“I haven’t been here before,” Obi-Wan murmured, reaching out a hand to touch the petals of a bright orange-yellow flower.

“Wrong, you are,” Master Yoda said, smiling softly. “Remember, you do not.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, but Yoda abruptly moved forward towards a small clearing surrounded by colorful bushes and warm brightness in the Force. The warmth felt soothing in his mind, pleasant and luminous.

“Brought you here, I did, the first time you came to the gardens, and at the time, sitting here, Master Qui-Gon was.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, but he was too stunned to speak.

“Came here often, your Master did, though only the one time, have you been here.” Yoda sat down cross-legged on the floor, gesturing to the area in front of him.

Obi-Wan sat slowly. “So, I—the first time I met Master Qui-Gon was _here_? And I had only just arrived at the Temple?”

Yoda nodded slowly, eyes bright with kindness and understanding.

“Brought many of the plants and flowers you see here, Qui-Gon did.” Yoda hummed and pointed at something just behind Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Recognize that, do you?”

Obi-Wan turned slowly.

Nestled under the leaves of what appeared to be a large rhubarb plant was a distantly familiar-looking moss green pot with long, thin black stems coming out of it. The leaves sprouting from those stems were small, almost perfectly shaped into identical little clovers.

Obi-Wan pulled himself up to his feet and walked closer to examine it.

Upon closer inspection, the leaves of the plant appeared to be delicate, as though a simple touch would cause them to shatter, like glass.

“A fern,” he breathed, and then he remembered exactly what this plant was. “A maidenhair?”

Master Yoda hummed approvingly from where he sat.

“I…Master Qui-Gon started growing it after my padawan braiding ceremony,” Obi-Wan said, more to himself than Yoda.

He remembered the beginning days of Qui-Gon frantically trying to care for the plant. The plant had been stubborn and finicky—in the early days, Obi-Wan was sure that Qui-Gon would decide to move on and find a plant that was more forgiving, or at least shift his focus to the other plants he had already been growing.

Obi-Wan remembered what Qui-Gon said during that time: _“Regardless of what happens, Obi-Wan, the Force lives in all creatures, especially these plants. This plant, the maidenhair fern, will live on through your apprenticeship and beyond.”_

At the time, Obi-Wan didn’t really think much of it. He wasn’t particularly strong in the Living Force, and Qui-Gon had so many plants that it was difficult to keep track of them all. He barely remembered noticing one day that the plant was gone from their quarters, and he had assumed that Qui-Gon had given up caring for it.

Clearly, he was wrong.

As though he sensed Obi-Wan’s thoughts, Yoda spoke.

“Brought it here, your Master did, a few years ago.”

“Why?” Obi-Wan croaked, though a part of him knew the answer already.

“Why?” Yoda repeated, chuckling lightly. “Know that, you do.”

A fresh wave of emotion washed over him, and Obi-Wan closed his eyes, reaching out into the Force to the vibrant presence of the maidenhair fern.

The plant was completely steeped in Qui-Gon’s Force presence, as though Qui-Gon had only spent time with it yesterday.

Obi-Wan barely noticed the tears spilling from his eyes, and he made no effort to wipe them.

“It’s a reminder and a promise,” he murmured. “That he’ll always be here, no matter what.”

Master Yoda hummed approvingly from where he was still sitting behind Obi-Wan.

“Master, I’d like to take this plant back with me to my quarters,” Obi-Wan said softly, eyes fixed on the fern’s delicate stature, its noble elegance shining into the Force.

“Glad to hear that, I am.” The Grandmaster stood and walked to Obi-Wan’s side. Yoda’s eyes were filled with a gentleness Obi-Wan hadn’t seen in a long time, and the sight of it warmed him greatly.

“Part of my lineage, you are, Obi-Wan. A great Jedi, you are, but an even greater man, you are. To see you struggle with grief, I do not want.”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, nodding slowly.

“Thank you, Master.”

The walk back to Obi-Wan’s quarters was spent in comfortable silence. 

Obi-Wan carried the maidenhair fern’s pot in his arms, its presence soothing and comforting in his mind. He remembered a little about caring for plants from watching Master Qui-Gon do it over the years, but he was willing to accept the challenge of doing it himself.

When they stood in front of his quarters, Master Yoda reached for Obi-Wan’s sleeve and tugged at it.

“Come to me, you must, if help you need.”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. “I will,” he promised. “Thank you, Master.”

Yoda hummed and smiled kindly at him. “Late, it is. Go to my quarters to sleep now, I will. Enjoy your birthday, I hope you did.”

“I did, Master,” Obi-Wan replied. “I really appreciate all of this.”

Master Yoda gave him another grin before he walked away, leaving Obi-Wan standing in front of the entrance of his quarters, arms tightly holding onto the pot.

He could hear the sounds of the holofilm echoing from the inside of his quarters, mixing with the voices of his friends and his Padawan. They were bright and vibrant in the Force, excited to be spending time together after so long.

Obi-Wan was so happy to have them in his life. He didn’t know where he would be without any of them.

Taking another deep breath, Obi-Wan opened the door and walked in, ready for whatever the future held in store.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
